Monday, May 25, 2009

Paulson Poker Chips - Are There Any Other Choices?

By Mark Martir

Paulson poker chips are well known in the casino world for being the standard which all others have to compare to but what really makes them stand out? Try doing some research online and you'll quickly discover that information is scarce. The Paulson chip company, at least to the best of my knowledge, doesn't have an official website and most likely it's because they only deal directly with casinos.

Research on the web for the Paulson company and you'll quickly discover it's not that easy to reach them directly as most of the online retailers will not disclose how to reach them as it would be bad for business. Rumor has it that the company was bought out by a French company and the strictly only deal with casinos directly with no real option for a consumer to buy direct from them.

The history of the Paulson poker chip company would probably be quite interesting. Aside from the mysteriousness of the company, the main reason Paulson's are so popular among chip collectors is because of their proprietary clay composition.

The unique clay blend, passed down from many generations is not like the traditional clay found in sculptures but a form of ceramic that they conveniently just called clay in order to save us from pronouncing some long complicated scientific name. Paulson poker chips are usually found in most of the major casinos like Aladdin, Bally's, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Excalibur, Foxwoods, Harrah's, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM, Mirage, New York New York, Paris, Trump Plaza, Venetian, Wynn and the list continues on and on.

Since casinos are the main buyers, Paulson poker chips have to undergo meticulous detail and quality checks. No matter how much they try, the clay used in the chip is composed of does still allow some chips to be less than perfect, as this is mainly due to the nature of the compression during the manufacturing process. Many believe these details add charm to the whole Paulsons poker chip line.

One of the things you'll notice about a Paulson poker chip is how it feels. This again is due to the material that the chip is composed of. Depending on the size of the inlay (the area on the face of the poker chip where images are placed) plus molds with complicated designs may also effect the feel. The edges of new chips are sometimes sharp so be careful, but with constant use you will get the better feel you may have expected.

When you pick one up, notice the weight, which purists would say is between 9-10 grams, not the heavier weights that many others will claim is authentic. The other comparable chips heavier weight is usually due to the material injected such as metal inserts in the not commonly known "composite" clay chips that try to compete with Paulson.

Paulson poker chips come in many variations of styles and there was even a James Bond edition released which actually was received with mixed reviews. Every new line that's introduced is always greeted with open arms among the poker chip community. Many people wonder if it really matters if a chip is a Paulson. In the end, it always comes down to personal preference.

How can you tell you are popular? It's usually determined by many people imitate you and Paulson poker chips have many imitators. Always feel free to buy from many of the poker chip manufacturers who rightly do have some respectable and innovative designs. But if you are in the market for obtaining the absolute closest one can get to an authentic, true to its roots casino poker chip, then you can't go wrong with a Paulson chip as they are the standard by which all other chips are compared. - 16887

About the Author:

No comments: